Pope Benedict on Friday denounced the "powerful political and cultural
currents" seeking to legalize gay marriage in the United States, urging
visiting U.S. bishops to beef up their teaching about the evils of
premarital sex and cohabitation.

The pope's latest comments in opposition to same-sex marriage came in
an address to bishops from several Midwestern states on a regular visit
to the Vatican, Reuters reported.

"Sexual differences cannot be dismissed as irrelevant to the definition of marriage," he said.

Last week, Maryland became the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Washington State will join the list in June unless opponents stop it ahead of a possible referendum, Reuters reported.

Gay marriage is legal in a number of European countries, including Spain and the Netherlands, according to Reuters.

The 84-year-old Benedict acknowledged his comments might sound
anachronistic or "countercultural," particularly to the young. But he
told bishops to not back down in the face of "powerful political and
cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of marriage," The Associated Press reported.

He also denounced what he called the failure of priests and bishops to
instruct Catholics in core church teachings on human sexuality, saying
many Catholics seem unaware that living together outside of marriage was
"gravely sinful, not to mention damaging to the stability of society,"
according to the AP.

The entire Christian community, he said, must recover an appreciation of the virtue of chastity, the AP reported.

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